Cartridge case



Get. 18, 1966 H. STADLER ETAL CARTRIDGE CASE Filed Jan. 5, 1965 FIG. 3

INVE STADL NTORS. H ER H GAWLICK RUDOLF STAHLMANN 8 ATTORNEzS.

United States Patent 3,279,373 CARTRIDGE CASE Hans Stadler, Nurnberg,and Heinz Gawlick and Rudolf Stahlmann, Furth, Bavaria, Germany,assignors to Dynamit Nobel Aktiengesellschaft, Troisdorf, Germany FiledJan. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 423,474 Claims priority, applicationsgermany,Jan. 8, 1964,

4 9 8 Claims. (Cl. 102-44) The present invention relates to cartridgeconstructions and more particularly to cartridges for mortars of plasticmaterial and made in one piece.

It has already been proposed in the prior art to manufacture in onepiece of plastic material the fired cartridges for mortars in such amanner that a plastic case open in the forward end is moded in one piecewith a bottom piece. The case is then closed after filling with thepropellent charge by a thin plate of plastic material placed thereonwhich, by fi-anging over, is secured or welded to the case. Thisflanging operation entails certain difliculties which are to be avoidedby the present invention.

The fired cartridge for mortars according to the present inventionessentially consists of a plastic case made in one piece with a closureplate at the front end face thereof and 10f a strong bottom piece alsomade of plastic material and receiving the primer or fuse which isformslockingly connected with the case.

In a special construction according to the present invention, the bottompiece is provided with annular beads and the case with annular ribs inthe direction toward the open end which upon emplacement of the caseover the bottom piece snap-in between the annular beads thereof.

With fired cartridges for mortars it is important that the cartridge isseated so firmly in the chamber of the shell receiving the same that itdoes not fall out of thte same and also does not stay behind in themortar after the firing. With the cartridge according to the presentinvention this requirement may be fulfilled in a simple manner in thatan outwardly projecting, elastic annular bead is formed into the bottompiece which is elastically deformed upon insertion of the cartridge intothe shell and produces a good clamping seat. The same effect can beachieved by a corresponding annular bead at the case. Possibly such ayielding or elastic annular bear may be formed into both the bottompiece as well as the case.

It is appropriate to construct the annular beads in the form of elasticcollars. If both the bottom piece as well as the cartridge case receivesuch a collar, then the collar is appropriately formed at the case insuch a manner that it extends over the bottom piece along the upper rimthereof. If the cartridge is inserted, then the collar of the caseexerts a radial pressure which compresses the connecting place betweenthe case and bottom piece and thereby increases the rigidity of theconnection.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide acartridge for mortars made of plastic material which avoids, by simplemeans, the aforementioned shlortcomings encountered with the prior artconstructions.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a firedcartridge for mortars essentially consisting of plastic material whichcan be readily manufactured without involving cumbersome anddiflicult-to-realize operating steps.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of acartridge for mortars which is so constructed, notwithstanding the useof plastic material, that it is rigidly seated in the shell or grenadeto prevent the cartridge from falling out of the shell or from remainingbehind in the mortar chamber after the firing.

A further object of the present invention resides in the Patented Oct.18, 1966 provision of a cartridge made of plastic material which is soconstructed that it is elastically deformed upon assembly into the shellthus producing a good wedging and clamping seat.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provisionof a plastic cartridge for mortar shells intended to be fired with themortar shell which increases the rigidity of the connection between thecartridge and the shell.

These and further objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more obvious from the following description whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, forpurposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance withthe present invention and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an axial cross-sectional view through a fired cartridge inaccordance with the present invention and more particularly showing thebottom piece and the case as still separate parts,

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cartridge in accordance with thepresent invention of slightly modified construction from that of FIGURE1, with the case and bottom piece connected together;

FIGURE 3 is a partial cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale,showing a special construction of the case for a cartridge in accordancewith the present invention, and

FIGURE 4 is a special construction of the bottom piece for a cartridgein accordance with the present invention provided with a case accordingto FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals are usedthroughout the various views to designate like parts, the cartridge ofthe present invention is composed of a case 1 and of a bottom piece 2which are both made of plastic material of known conventional type. Thecase 1 is according to the present invention closed at the upper endface thereof by a thin plate 3 of plastic material which is made in onepiece with the case 1 so that the operating step of flanging necessaryheretofore is obviated for securing the inserted disc of the prior art.The bottom piece 2 is relatively thick and accommodates the primer orfuse 4. The bottom piece 2 is provided in the illustrated embodimentwith annular heads 5 whereas annular ribs 6 are formed into the case 1which upon assembly of the two parts 1 and 2 snap elastically into thegrooves between the annular beads 5 of the bottom piece 2 so that arigid connection between case 1 and bottom piece 2 is established.

In order to establish a good clamping seat of the cartridge in the boreof the shell, a springy or elastic annular collar 7 is formed into thebottom piece 2, which, as may be recognized from FIGURE 4, abuts underelastic deformation against the bore wall 8 of the shell or grenadealrlid establishes a frictional contact between cartridge and s ell.

FIGURE 2 shows a construction in accordance with the present inventionwithout such collar.

Furthermore, the case 1 may also be provided with -a collar 9 which uponinsertion of the cartridge is also deformed.

It is particularly appropriate to so construct the collar 9 (FIGURE 3)of the case 1 that upon insertion of the cartridge, it comes to lie overthe upper part of the bottom piece 2 as shown in FIGURE 4. It not onlyincreases then the frictional pressure of the cartridge in .the bore butit simultaneously exerts a radially inwardly directed force whichassists the form-locking connection between the case and the bottompiece by an additional force-locking connection.

While we have shown and described several embodiments in accordance withthe present invention, it is understood that the same is not limitedthereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications asknown to a person skilled in the art and we therefore do not wish to belimited to the details shown and described herein but intend to coverall such changes and modifi cations as ,are encompassed by the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. A cartridge for mortars comprising:

plastic generally tubular casing means having .an .open end and anintegrally formed end closure plate at the other end,

a relatively strong plastic bottom piece closing said open end, meanssecuring said bottom piece to said casing means,

and outwardly projecting elastic annular collar means formed integralwith each of the bottom piece and the casing means, the collar on saidcasing means extending over the bottom piece.

2. A cartridge for mortars comprising:

generally tubular plastic casing means having an open end and anintegrally formed end closure plate at the other end,

a relatively strong plastic bottom piece closing said open end, meanssecuring said bottom piece to said casing means,

said bottom piece being provided with annular beads and said casingmeans with annular ribs which upon emplacement of the casing means overthe bottom piece snap into the spaces between the annular beads thereof,

and outwardly projecting elastic annular collar means formed integralwith each of the bottom piece and the casing means, the collar on saidcasing means extending over the bottom piece.

3. A cartridge for insertion within a bore for firing, comprising agenerally tubular cartridge case having a closed forward end and an openrearward end; a bottom piece telescopically closing said rearward end,said bottom piece and said cartridge case having outer and inner elesaidouter member to contract for tightly engaging said inner member.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said elastic means is an annularcollar.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein said cartridge case is said outermember, and said elastic means is an annular collar that extendsrearwardly beyond the rearward end of said cartridge case to overlap andfrictionally engage said bottom piece when said cartridge is insertedinto the bore.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein said securing means includesinterengaging form-locking means operatively connecting said bottompiece and said cartridge case.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said elastic means is an annularcollar.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein said cartridge case is said outermember, and said elastic means is an annular collar that extendsrearwardly beyond the rearward end of said cartridge case to overlap andfrictionally engage said bottom piece when said cartridge is insertedinto the bore.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,144,827 8/1964Boutwell 102-43 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,024,067 1/1953 France.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner. R. F. STAHL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CARTRIDGE FOR MORTARS COMPRISING: PLASTIC GENERALLY TUBULAR CASINGMEANS HAVING AN OPEN END AND AN INTEGRALLY FORMED END CLOSURE PLATE ATTHE OTHER END, A RELATIVELY STRONG PLASTIC BOTTOM PIECE CLOSING SAIDOPEN END, MEANS SECURING SAID BOTTOM PIECE TO SAID CASING MEANS, ANDOUTWARDLY PROJECTING ELASTIC ANNULAR COLLAR MEANS FORMED INTEGRAL WITHEACH OF THE BOTTOM PIECE AND THE CASING MEANS, THE COLLAR ON SAID CASINGMEANS EXTENDING OVER THE BOTTOM PIECE.